The Boston Celtics snapped their two-game losing skid on Friday night with a 121-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets, advancing to 1-0 in the inaugural in-season tournament.
The Celtics entered Friday night having shot under 40% in consecutive games and shooting 31.3% from deep in their last three games. Despite the recent shooting struggles, Boston’s offense hit the ground running. The C’s put up 38 points in the first quarter on 13-of-30 (43.3%) shooting from the field and 7-of-16 (43.8%) from three.
As a whole, Boston’s offense looked much better on Friday night, as they found some flow and purpose. The Celtics did a great job playing fast, setting screens, mixing in different looks, and moving the ball, which led to a balanced attack – Finishing the night shooting 19-of-52 (36.5%) deep and 22-of-42 (52.4%) inside the arc.
The Celtics, who entered Friday night’s game 25th in assists per game (23.7) and 29th in passes per game, racked up 29 assists in the win, their second-highest total this season.
The crisp offense also led to fewer turnovers, as the Celtics totaled just seven on the night, tied for the fourth-fewest by any team in a game this season. Friday night’s performance should help improve the Celtics’ offensive rating, which has slipped in the last few games.
Here are three takeaways from Boston’s first In-Season Tournament win, a game in which the Nets led for just 33 seconds.
Bench finds its stride
A lot has been made about Boston’s bench production this season. Outside of their big night against the Pacers, the bench has struggled to find consistency, averaging just 24.9 points per game (28th in the league) entering Friday night.
The bench found its groove Friday night.
Led by Sam Hauser, the Celtics’ bench poured in 35 points. Hauser, who started the season off in a mini-slump, continued his recent string of excellence. The 25-year-old scored 15 points on 5-of-10 (50%) shooting. All of his shot attempts came from beyond the arc.
After starting the season shooting 4-of-16 (25.0%) over the first three games, Hauser has found his stroke, shooting a combined 20-of-36 (55.5%) from the field and 17-of-32 (53.1%) from deep in his last five games.
Payton Pritchard also had a nice night. The 25-year-old had been struggling mightly entering Friday night, shooting a combined 8-of-34 (23.5%) on the season, having been held scoreless in the last three consecutive games, shooting 0-of-11 over that stretch.
Pritchard set the tone for the Celtics Friday night, totaling 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, snagging five rebounds, and dishing out three assists. Four of Pritchard’s five boards were offensive, tying a career-high.
“He changed the game for us tonight,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame.
The Celtics finished the night with 17 offensive rebounds, a new season-high. Twelve of those offensive rebounds came from the bench, with six coming from Luke Kornet who stepped up big in the absence of Al Horford, as Horford missed the game due to right knee injury management.
Kornet finished the contest with seven points, nine rebounds, an assist, and a block, as he continued to provide solid minutes off the bench.
Jrue Holiday continues to do it all
The Celtics gave up a lot to acquire Holiday, and so far it appears to be worth every cent. The five-time All-Defensive selection was all over the court again Friday night, stuffing the stat sheet and providing a menacing presence on the defensive end.
Holiday has now recorded a double-double in 50% of Boston’s games this season, notching his fourth Friday night.
The two-time All-Star was just an assist shy of his fifth career triple-double, finishing the night with 13 points (on 6-of-14 shooting), nine assists (tying the team high), and a game-high 12 rebounds (three offensive). Holiday also snagged two steals, finishing the night with a +26 plus-minus, good for second-highest on the team.
The 34-year-old guard leads the Celtics in both rebounds and assists this season.
Bounce back for Tatum and Brown
After combing for just 27 points Wednesday night in Philadelphia, Tatum (23 points) and Brown (28 points) responded on Friday night.
The All-NBA duo combined for 51 points on 16-of-36 (44.4%) shooting.
Brown, who had his worst night of the season Wednesday in Philly, bounced back quickly. The 27-year-old scored nine points in the first 3:07 of the game, and by the seven-minute mark, Brown had already passed his total points in Wednesday’s loss (11). Brown finished the night with 28 points, 13 of which came in the first quarter.
While 23 points may not seem like much for Tatum, he left his mark on Friday night’s game. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, the three-time All-NBA selection exploded for 13 in the second quarter with a barrage of threes, knocking down three in a row, building a 17-point Celtics lead.
When the relentless Nets made things interesting at the end of the third cutting the Boston lead down to single digits, it was number 0 that slammed the door shut, fueling an 18-6 Celtics run with his nine points.
Tatum finished the night with yet another double-double, his fifth of the year, and a team-high plus-minus of +28.
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